Royal Festival Hall. 14 June 2024. Part of 2024 Meltdown
Curators of the Southbank Centre’s annual, iconic Meltdown Festival have included Grace Jones, Morrissey, David Bowie… For this year’s 29th festival the role is taken by legendary singer and musician, Chaka Khan for a ten-day festival celebrating the 50-year pioneering career of this incredible artist.
Khan has curated a list of spectacular acts, including Emeli Sandé, Todrick Hall, Lady Blackbird, Bruce Hornsby and Incognito and even included some of her own family, featuring her nephew, singer-songwriter Tyler Max for the Meltdown edition of futuretense and her sister Taka Boom for a special performance during London Queer Soundsystem Day. And the remaining concerts hold great promise too, including concerts by Mica Paris, Lady Blackbird and Reuben James, and Speakers Corner Quartet (preview feature) building to its finale, a 20th Anniversary performance of ClassiKhan with the Nu Civilisation Orchestra.
But the highlight of every year is the headline performance by the curator. Chaka Khan boasts 10 Grammy awards, music sales of over 100 million and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for musical excellence.
After a set from BBC DJ and broadcaster Trevor Nelson spinning a myriad of soul, funk and RnB classics to get the audience in the mood, Chaka Khan graced the stage with her impressive band of keyboards, bass, drums, percussion, horns, and the added surprise of four dancers who weaved their way throughout the show. To top it all off, some of the most talented backup singers in the business, being given the occasional chance to show off their own impressive vocal ranges.
Khan has released an incredible 22 studio albums over the years, so the list of familiar favourites is long. This set list of treasures included Tell Me Something Good, I Feel For You, Thru The Fire, I’m Every Woman and Ain’t Nobody.
Her charismatic energy, chatting to the audience and telling about her recent experiences (including the weather in Oxford the night before!) including the story behind one of the most compelling songs written with Prince entitled I Remember You. In the studio with Prince in 1998, he asked her to write a poem and by the next day he had added a melody and written an arrangement. This was an example of some of the musical relationships she has had the honour to develop over the years. And much more than that: it was an awesome reminder of Khan’s talent.
Khan’s ability to sing those unparalleled high notes hasn’t changed a bit. While, sometimes, the years can have a nasty effect on the voice, Khan has only used her experience to harness and maintain her power. She delivered on every song and brought a few special treats to the show as well. As she herself has said: “I have never let success run away with me. I’ve taken it and ran.”
